SP claims majority in the House

While the BSP asserts that all 37 defectors have been disqualified, the SP claims majority in the House, reports Masoodul Hasan

There is now claim and counter claim between BSP and Samajwadi Party over the status of 24 BSP MLAs after the Supreme Court decision disqualifying 13 defectors.

While the BSP has asserted that all 37 defectors had been disqualified, the former advocate general and SP MP Virendra Bhatia said that they were valid members of the state assembly. Bhatia said SP governement enjoyed majority in the House.

Talking to newsmen in Lucknow on Saturday, Bhatia said only 13 members had been disqualified and there was no decision against remaining 24 members. He said even the BSP had not moved against them before the Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey for their disqualification. Bhatia said Congress along with BJP and BSP had hatched conspiracy to dislodge the Mulayam Singh Yadav government.

He said in order to strengthen the dismissal case, the Opposition had given misleading interpretation of the apex court judgment.

Not ruling out the possibility of taking legal recourse if the government was dismissed Bhatia said the party would go to people on the issue. About 13 disqualified members, who continued to be ministers without being members of the House for more than two-and-half-year, Bhatia said the court had not declared their functioning null and void.

Demanding resignation of BJP state president Kesrinath Tripathi, Bhatia said Tripathi as Speaker had approved split in the BSP and now his order had been rejected. However Bhatia skirted the question that Tripathi’s order was aimed at helping the SP government.

He said the President APJ Abdul Kalam should not entertain any dismissal request of the Union Cabinet. He said after central rule in Bihar the apex court had made certain observations about the President in signing proclamation about imposition of central rule.